Kristen Bell stars in 'Mnemovore' footage (Mania.com)

By:Rob M. Worley Date: Monday, October 08, 2007

Fans attending the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland this weekend got a surprise when comic-creator/filmmaker Hans Rodionoff unveiled footage from a 'Mnemovore' movie that featured Kristen Bell in the lead role.

The approximately ten minutes worth of footage contained scenes from a proposed feature film to be based on the DC/Vertigo comic. Rodionoff and Ray Fawkes created the horror tale, which was illustrated by Mike Huddleston.

'Mnemovore' tells the story of Kaley, a professional snow boarder who suffers a head injury that wipes out her memory. The accident sets her up in the unique position to battle a centuries-old Lovecraftian entity that feeds on the memories of mankind.

Rodionoff told fans at the screening that Guillermo del Toro is on board the film project as Executive Producer (news that delighted a room full of Lovecraft devotees) along with 'Transformers' and 'Shoot Em Up' producers Don Murphy and Susan Montford. Rodionoff has written the screenplay and is attached to direct the film himself.

The footage casts Bell (former star of 'Veronica Mars' and currently appearing on the fan-fave 'Heroes') in the role of Kaley. It portrays an exchange between Kaley and her therapist (played by 'Terminator' star Michael Biehn) and leads up to her first horrific encounter with the psyche-eating monster.

The footage was well received by the fans, although Rodionoff explained that it was not a scene from an actual film in production. Primarily a screenwriter, Rodionoff filmed the footage at the behest of del Toro in order to demonstrate his largely untested abilities as a director. They are currently working to secure funding for the film.

It's not clear whether or not Bell or Biehn would be available once the movie went into production.

Rodionoff actually made his filmmaking debut with the no-budget horror comedy 'Sucker', which he wrote, produced and directed. The film was distributed by Troma Pictures and largely forgotten as Rodionoff focused his efforts on writing. It was his spec screenplay 'Lovecraft' (which imagined a narrative that blends the fictional themes and biography of the horror author) that gained him the attention of both the film and the comics industry. That script was adapted into a graphic novel for DC/Vertigo.

Rodionoff visited the Lovecraft Film Festival during a break from his current film project, 'Trance'. That movie, a small-budget horror flick filming in Louisiana, will mark Rodionoff's return to the director's chair.

The filmmaker hopes that by the time filming wraps on 'Trance', he and his producing partners will have secured a deal to put 'Mnemovore' into production.